Child of the Sky
by LunarEclipse31
Summary: Syrus Truesdale always believed he was a normal kid. A secret that has been kept from him for all his life could serve to change it forever. Summary kind of sucks. NOTE: ON HIATUS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
1. Longing

I was reading a cool book and I thought it would be interesting to loosely base a fic on it. Very loosely, I might add. Enjoy! Takes place in an Alternate Universe.

Disclaimer: Must I go through this again and again? I don't own Yugioh GX, just my OCs.

Warning: OOcness? You be the judge of that.

--

Fifteen-year-old Syrus rolled over in his bed and groaned as the sunlight that was glaring through his window stung his eyes. _Another morning, another day of confinement…_ he thought sourly. _Why can't I go outside like normal people? There's nothing wrong with me, is there?_

A faint, tingly feeling ran across his upper back as he sat up. Syrus put his hand close to the spot as if trying to capture the feeling. This was the umpteenth morning that he had woken up feeling like there were little bugs crawling under the skin of his back. It wasn't a terribly irritating feeling, but he didn't know the cause, and that was what annoyed the little bluenette. The sensation had been occurring more or less for the past two years, and had yet to go away. And, to make things even more odd, Syrus only felt it in the mornings. He was pretty sure that it wasn't part of puberty, having researched the topic extensively on his computer.

Once again, Syrus ran over his options in his head. _I can't tell Aunt and Uncle, because they'd freak out. They keep my locked up in the house for no reason; any mention of something weird like this, and I'd be locked in my room. _He sighed. Option 2: tell the doctor. _Yeah, right. That guy's creepy, and he reports to them. It's like option one, but with more people involved. _Option 3: tell no one. So far, it had been working fine.

A wave of despair washed over Syrus. He felt so alone in his little world, which consisted mainly of the house, and the balcony outside his room. And since he had no family other than his aunt and uncle, he was virtually alone all the time. Syrus's parents had died when he was very young, and so he had no memories of them; his earliest memory was of the funeral itself. There were no pictures of them, because they had all supposedly been lost in the fire that killed them. Syrus took comfort in the fact that he looked like his mother, which was what his cousin, Amber, had once told him.

Amber. Recollections brushed through his mind of the one person he had had as a friend. She had been two years older than him, sweet and caring, but even her angelic nature had not kept the worst from happening. To keep himself from crying out in sadness, he went to the bathroom and vigourously washed his face. When he was done scrubbing his face, Syrus raised his head and glared at his image in the mirror. He knew that he was shorter than average, but his guardians refused to do anything about it. 'Nature intended you to be this way, so let's not discuss it' was his aunt's take on things. Making a face at this, he hung up his towel.

As he dressed in his usual jeans and T-shirt, a flash of movement caught his eye. Looking out the window, he squinted into the bushes that ran alongside the house. Nothing appeared to be disturbing the shrubberies, but that usually wasn't he case. _We do live in the country; I guess it was another fox or something. _But try as he might, Syrus couldn't shake off the feeling that it wasn't just another animal. He laughed at himself. _I must be going crazy from being inside all the time. There was nothing out there. _

Stepping out onto his balcony, Syrus inhaled the fresh air and grinned. Being outside, even if it was only in one place, always made him feel better. _If I could just persuade them that I'm responsible enough to be out there by myself, maybe my life would actually be worth living. _He frowned. They had had that conversation many times, but his aunt and uncle never revealed the reason why he had to stay in the house all the time. When he was younger, Syrus had never minded being inside, but now…things were different. He was piningto go places, do things. But they wouldn't budge on their position, stating that they knew what was best for him.

_They're probably scared to lose you, after what happened to Amber and your parents, _his common sense told him. _This is just the way they show their love, through overprotection. _

**Overprotection is one thing, but keeping someone locked in a house for all his life is twisted, **Syrus's inner voice argued. Lately, the anger in him over this issue had been growing stronger, and he was thinking more rebellious thoughts. **They have something to hide. **

_Don't be silly, they're an accountant and a department store clerk, what could they possibly have to hide?_ Syrus shook his head to rid himself of these thoughts and forced himself to concentrate on the sky. For him, it was comforting to watch the clouds roll by, like having a security blanket or stuffed animal to snuggle. His attention was caught by a bald eagle flying by.

Syrus watched it in fascination, captivated by the powerful wing strokes. An unexplained emotion of **longing **filled every part of his body, making him literally ache with desire. Just when he thought that he was going to explode with it, the emotion seeped away, leaving him feeling drained and confused. _What was that all about? _He wondered. _I've never felt that way before. Sure, I've wanted things, but…never like that. It was like I __**had **__to have it or I would die. I don't even know what I wanted. _

Still pondering over this strange event, he headed inside the house and went downstairs to eat breakfast. Unfortunately, his uncle hadn't left for work yet, meaning he was in for a lecture or two over breakfast.

"Sleeping in, were you? You should know by now that we don't tolerate laziness, boy." His uncle Cole scowled at him from behind the newspaper which he was reading. The man's dark eyes flashed angrily. Their colour matched his hair perfectly.

"Yes, Uncle. Good morning to you too." Syrus said wearily. His aunt Nora, as dark-haired as her husband, pushed a bowl of bran flakes his way, and he resignedly started to eat them.

"Have you taken your pill this morning?" She fired the question at him. Syrus internally swore. He had all but forgotten.

"Not yet, but..." he was about to explain that he had only gotten up a little while ago, and hadn't had a chance to have it, but he was interrupted.

His uncle slammed a hand down on the tabletop. "You know that you have to take it every day! Have you learned nothing all these years?! Foolish child…" he seemed to be about to go into rant mode, but Syrus stopped him.

"Okay, okay, I'll take it now." Grabbing the white capsule from its container on the counter, he swallowed it dry. "I'm sorry, I just got up. I didn't have a chance to have it yet." His uncle looked a little less enraged and snorted his approval or maybe disapproval. Syrus couldn't tell. Cole Gieppe kissed his wife goodbye and stormed out of the kitchen; off to work.

"You're old enough to know to take it without us reminding you." His aunt obviously wasn't going to let the subject die just yet.

"I know I am. What does it do anyway?" The question slipped out before he could stop it. Syrus didn't know what the pill did, exactly, but he remembered the only other time he had asked, about two years ago, he had gotten slapped in the mouth and sent to his room. "Never mind…" he was hoping to be let off easily, and miraculously, his aunt was in a semi-forgiving mood. It was a good thing his uncle wasn't there, or he probably would've gotten crucified.

"What it does is between me, your uncle, and our doctor. It's for your own good. Maybe if Amber had taken it more consistently, she'd still be here…" She wrung her dishrag tightly in her hands. Syrus swallowed around the lump in his throat.

Amber had died the three summers ago, during surgery. He didn't know what kind of surgery it had been, only that there had been haemorrhaging the doctors couldn't stop. Syrus could remember the terrible anguish he had felt when he realized that his only friend was gone forever. His cousin had been a wonderful person, and she had made their mutual confinement seem less horrible. The fact that she hadn't gotten to live her life to its full extent still bothered Syrus a lot. He thought it was really unfair that God had allowed such an amazing person to die so young.

--Three hours later--

As Syrus laid on his bed, watching out the window, he spied the eagle once more. Sitting up, he focussed on the wings and waited to see if that feeling of extreme desire would come back to him. But it didn't come. It was if the emotion had never existed in the first place.

_What happened to it? _Syrus thought as he curled up in a ball, preparing to take a nap before he had to start his chores. _Where did it go? _

What Syrus didn't notice, however, that as he prepared to nap there was a pair of brown eyes peering out of the trees outside his window, watching him.

--

And that's it for the first chapter of my new story. Sorry if it was a little boring for you, but it will get better in later chapters. Tell me what you think; R&R!


	2. Cousin

Hopefully things get more interesting in this chapter. Thanks to all of you who reviewed.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh GX

Warning: Swearing, violence, OOCness (?), very slight religious themes

--

That night, as he slept, Syrus dreamt of his cousin. She was standing under a stand of birch trees, watching the clear blue sky. Amber watched him as he approached and smiled.

"Amber!" He stopped a few feet away from her. "What are you doing in my dream?" She smiled a small, bittersweet smile.

"You don't want to see me?" She began to fade away, and her sadness radiated through the air.

"I do! Please don't go," he pleaded. She became more solid again and smiled at him. Syrus felt an unexplained chill run down his spine. Amber was…kind of…scaring him with her mood swings. _What am I thinking?! This is Amber, my cousin. She'd never hurt me! _"I was so surprised to see you; that's all. I've missed you." He added, trying to placate her.

"I've missed you too. We have so much to talk about!" Amber seemed to be back to the person she was when she was alive, bubbly and full of life. "I have something very important to tell you, Syrus."

He nodded. "What is it?"

"Be who you are. I know what my parents are doing to you and it's wrong. Stop taking the pill and be _free_." She reached out to pat his head. "Do as I say and you'll be thanking me _forever_." An evil shadow passed behind her blue eyes. "Don't forget me, Syrus." His cousin now sounded like a little girl on the first day of kindergarten. Amber's eyes didn't match her tone, and it frightened him a little.

"I-I-I won't, Amber. I promise. What does the pill do?" he asked her. The sky and the ground turned red and barren. In moments, the paradise became desolate, cold, and windy. "Amber?" Syrus asked nervously. He took a few steps back. Her eyes had turned dark red, and her dark-gold hair became wild.

"It's a way to control you. They tried to destroy me, but I'll get them!" She screamed. "Don't trust them, Syrus, don't!" Syrus tried to reach out and calm her down, but she was drifting backwards, out of his reach. He stared in horror as she unfolded a giant pair of black, demonic —

"AAAAGHHHH!!!!!" The bluenette jerked out of his dead sleep, sweating and screeching. "Oh my God, oh my God…" he cradled his head in his hands, trying to drive out the images of his devilish cousin. "It was just a nightmare, calm down, Amber isn't evil, and she's safe in Heaven dancing with the angels." He took a few deep breaths and jumped out of bed, heading for the bathroom to get a drink.

_Maybe the pill is giving me these nightmares. I should stop taking it. _Amber's twisted message was worming itself inside his brain. _Oh, stop it, Syrus. That meant nothing; it was a product of my tired mind. Nothing more. __**She said they tried to destroy her. Maybe they're trying to destroy you too. Who's to say that pill isn't poisonous?**_Syrus splashed cold water on his face, driving away the thoughts.

--The next day--

"Boy, come down here immediately!" His uncle was standing at the bottom of the stairs, scowling up at him.

"Yes, sir?" Syrus squeaked, barely managing to suppress a yawn. Despite his best efforts, he hadn't been able to get back to sleep the previous night.

"Your aunt and I are going out for a meeting for the next few hours. Take your pill and stay in the house, or I'll make you wish you had." The last bit was said threateningly. Syrus paid little attention to it. He received physical threats from his uncle almost daily, but usually it was just hot air.

"Okay. I'll be good." His aunt shot him a look as she went to follow her husband out of the door.

"You'd better be." Then he was alone.

For the next hour and a half, Syrus stayed indoors and was bored half to death. He had opted not to take the pill right away. _I'll have plenty of time to take it. They'll never know the difference. _So far, he had flipped through the channels 8 times, cleaned his room twice, and made a large, elaborate breakfast for himself. _I'm soooo bored!_

Outside, a bird was singing in the trees. _I could go outside, _he thought excitedly, _they're not here, and they won't be for a few hours. _Before his common sense could speak up and stop him, he ran outside and stood in the sun, basking in the rays.

_How could I not come out here? It's so beautiful. _Syrus walked through the field of tall grass adjacent to the house, running his hands over the stalks. He felt more alive than he had in months. "I'm free!" He yelled.

The bluenette went running through the tree line, childishly pretending that he was a bird. He had so much more energy than he could remember having in the past year or two. All memories of his horrible dream forgotten, he lay sprawled in the grass, breathing heavily. _I should try and sneak out more often. _He laughed out loud. Syrus didn't know why he felt so giddy, but he loved every moment of it. _Probably just the fact that I haven't been outside in a few months. _He closed his eyes, and felt himself drifting off to sleep, warmed by the sun. _No, I have to stay…awa…awa… _his eyelids crashed shut and he fell into a peaceful slumber.

--

_He must not get out often. _A person crouched in the bushes a few yards away, watching Syrus sleep. His nose twitched. There was somewhat of a familiar smell to this person; it was like one of his friend's, but different. _He has blue hair, too._

--A few hours later--

Syrus snapped out of a dreamless sleep when he heard the crunch of tires on gravel. _Oh no, oh no! _He jumped up, trying to get his bearings. The sun was setting, he was a few hundred feet away from his house, and his guardians were getting out of the car.

Even although he knew it was futile, Syrus ran towards the house, hoping and praying that he wouldn't be seen. As he reached the side door, his aunt turned her head and saw him. "YOU!" She screamed. Once inside, he barrelled for the stairs, attempting to reach his room so he could feign innocence.

The heavy footsteps behind him told him that things were going to happen otherwise. "You fucking brat! We told you to never go outside!" His uncle grabbed him by the hair and practically threw him back down into the hallway. A sharp kick delivered to his ribs had him rolling on the ground in pain. "We know what's best for you! How dare you disobey us!" Syrus curled into a ball, protecting his neck and head from the beating.

Finally, his aunt pulled her husband back. "Don't waste your energy on such a worthless thing." She looked down at him in disgust. "He's just like her, and he'll go the same way!" _Amber was right. They are evil and they want to destroy me. _Anger bubbled up in Syrus's chest.

"You are the worthless ones!" he yelled back. "Amber would still be alive if it wasn't for you!" He didn't know if there was any truth to the statement, but he didn't care.

"What did you find out?!" His aunt slapped his face. "Tell me now!"

"So you are hiding something, aren't you?!" For once, Syrus stood his ground. "I want to know what it is!" His uncle exploded again.

"Don't you dare challenge your aunt, you freak!" Syrus was grabbed by the scruff of his neck and dragged up the stairs. He struggled to get free, but his uncle had an iron grip.

He was literally thrown back into his room, causing his injuries to throb, and his face to scrape along the carpet. "You stay in there until we decide what to do with you!" The door slammed shut and was locked from the outside.

"I hate you!" Syrus screamed at the door. He rested his forehead on the ground for a moment, fighting to get his breath back. As he rang his hands over his body, checking for any hidden injuries, he detected a small lump in his pocket. It was the pill.

Rage swamped his brain. This thing somehow represented all the evil in his family, and he wasn't going to take it. Nothing in Heaven or Hell could make him. Syrus threw it to the floor and ground it with his foot until it became a fine white powder. _That takes care of that. _He took a shaky breath. _I can't stay here anymore. There are too many secrets and lies. But where would I go?_

He noticed that it was dark outside, and automatically began to don his pyjamas. _I feel so alone. I need someone to talk this over with. _As he climbed into bed, his wish was unexpectedly answered.

"Hi!" Syrus's head whipped around and he stared in disbelief at the speaker.

--

Poor Syrus, he can't get a break in my stories. Another cliffhanger. Syrus's cousin is going to fill a slightly darker role than I intended, but that's what imagination is all about! R&R!


	3. A New Friend, and a Dark Secret

Thanks to all of you who reviewed. So, here goes Ch3. The owner of the mysterious brown eyes will be revealed.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh GX or any other major franchise.

Warning: From here on out, the story is going to take a slight turn into fantasy. It won't be too bad, though.

--

"Who are you?!" Syrus stared agape at the boy standing in the doorway to his balcony. The kid seemed to be around his age, but taller (_naturally,_ Syrus thought in slight disgust) with bi-coloured brownish hair. "How did you get in here?"

The boy smiled widely. "I jumped. It wasn't that far, but I almost didn't make it. I can't do vertical jumps too well, like some of my friends…" he appeared to be about to continue on in this vein for a while, but Syrus intervened.

"That doesn't explain who you are." The bluenette glanced at his lamp, ready to pick it up and bash it over the boy's head if he made a wrong move. Then, a thought struck him. "Wait a minute, what do you mean, you jumped? That's about fifteen feet straight up!"

"I'm a lycan. We're stronger than normal people; we can smell better, all that stuff. So it really wasn't too big of a deal. I heard shouting; is everything okay in here?"

"Everything's fine." Syrus said stiffly. He didn't really want to discuss his family issues with a complete stranger.

"I'm Jaden, by the way. What's your name?" He stuck out a clawed hand for Syrus to shake. Syrus took it gingerly, trying to avoid the claws.

"It's Syrus. Well, it's…um…nice to meet you, Jaden. I guess. What are you doing here?" Jaden leapt onto Syrus's bed and sat cross-legged, grinning at his new *friend*.

"I saw you outside yesterday, and I decided that we should be friends. I mean, everyone always needs more friends! Am I right? And you're cool. Most people would freak out if I told them I'm a lycan." He rolled over onto his stomach. "So, why haven't I seen you around before? I mean, I've smelled you, but never seen you! You must like to stay hidden." Syrus sat on the chair by his desk and smiled as he watched his energetic new friend. _He kind of reminds me of Amber. She used to act like this, too. Like she couldn't stop moving around._

"I'm not exactly allowed to go outside." He twisted his fingers together. "My aunt and uncle…" he broke off, glaring at the wall. Even mentioning those…evil people made his blood boil. "Let's just say I can't. You said you're a…lycan? What is it, like a werewolf?"

"It's _better _than being a plain old werewolf! Werewolves can only transform at the full moon. I can turn into a wolf anytime I want. Or I can do a half-transformation." Jaden got up and stuck his face into Syrus's. "You don't smell like a regular human, Sy. What race are you?"

Syrus raised an eyebrow. _I met the guy two minutes ago, and now he's calling me by a nickname? Strange, but he's pretty much my first real friend. Maybe my wish for a friend got heard._ "I'm human, Jaden. That's all."

"It's weird, but I could swear you're not. You smell almost like this guy I know."

"Is he lycan, too?"

"No. He's in a class by himself; I'll introduce him to you one day. So far as I know, I'm the only lycan in this part of the country. I live with five - no, sorry, four - of my friends a ways away from here. I shouldn't even be so near to a human population, but I wanted to see what was on the other side of the cliffs, and Banner was busy, so…"

"I get it, I get it!" Syrus waved his hands to stop Jaden's babbling. "Are your other friends all like you?"

"We're all unique from humans, but our abilities are different." Jaden stopped to catch his breath. "Is your hair really blue, or do you dye it? I've met only one other person with natural blue hair, and he says it's a fairly rare occurrence."

"It's natural. You've actually met another person with blue hair?" Syrus couldn't believe it. Besides himself and his mother, he had never heard of anyone having hair like his. "Not just blue-black, but blue."

"Yep. It's a different shade, though. Kind of a teal colour." _Wow, there's actually another live person with hair like mine. _This notion comforted Syrus in a strange way. He had been told for most of his life that his hair was the result of a genetic mutation, and to know that a person totally unrelated to him had the same basic colour made him feel less alone. Jaden snapped his fingers in Syrus's face. "Earth to Syrus! What's wrong? You zoned out on me there."

"Nothing. You said you live with your friends?"

Jaden kicked at the ground with a foot. "Yeah; we aren't that accepted by other people, because of what we are. So the guy who brought us together decided that we should remain a secret for a while. My parents are dead, so I don't mind it that much." He looked sad, and Syrus gave him a hesitant hug. "Thanks. Syrus, maybe you should leave. Forcing you to stay inside all the time is cruel. You could come back with me."

Syrus felt bowled right over. He had met this boy about 15 minutes ago, and already he was offering to rescue him from a life of imprisonment. He began to cry a little. "Whoa, what's wrong? Did I say something?"

He laughed and shook his head. "No, don't worry. It's just…you're the only person I can ever remember caring about me, apart from my cousin. And we don't even know each other that well."

"Professor Banner says that if we want to be accepted among humans, we have to start by being accepted by a few people at a time." Jaden looked a little sheepish. "Or something like that. What I got out of the lecture was that we have to be nice to everyone."

Syrus grinned. "Well, you're one of my first friends, and I wouldn't care if you were part snake. I'm tired of being alone all the time. Anyways, shouldn't you ask permission before you bring someone new home?"

"Yeah, maybe I should." Jaden stopped, and turned to sniff the air. "Ugh, what's that smell?"

"I have no idea." In truth, Syrus didn't smell anything out of the ordinary. But then, his friend was part wolf. "Jaden?" The latter had stopped walking around, sniffing the air, and was now standing near the door, growling softly. His eyes had turned from brown to a gold colour. He pointed to the spot on the floor where the powder of the crushed pill lay.

"That thing! It smells like those men!" Jaden snarled, his face and body becoming more wolfish by the second. "Grrrrr…"

"What men?" Syrus backed away from Jaden, clearly afraid. "Jaden?" Jaden shook his head and his eyes darkened back to brown. He looked up at Syrus.

"Do you eat these?!" he cried in apparent horror. "Do you?"

"I have been for the past two and a half years. Are they poisonous or something?"

Jaden grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. "You can't eat them anymore! You can't. That's why you look like a human, but you don't smell like it! They're…I don't know…changing you!" Syrus pushed his hands down.

"I'm not going to take them any longer. I made that decision before you showed up. Calm down." The brunette took a few deep breaths and ran his hands through his hair, visibly shaken.

"I have to go now, but I'm going to come back for you. I won't leave you here, I promise. Can you hang on for the next few days?" Syrus nodded. Jaden opened the porch door. "Don't take those pills if you can help it, okay?"

"Yeah, I can. See you, then." Jaden sprung out the door and went running across the lawn, blending into the many shadows the trees were casting.

--

"Dr. Lasok, we have a problem." Syrus's aunt was on the phone was the phone with her doctor. He was also the one who had been leading the surgery on Amber when she bled out. "It's the boy. He's started acting strange. Could the pill have stopped working?"

"It can't have. My cure is not totally 100% foolproof; there have been known to be irregularities. How is he acting?" The doctor's voice was smooth and smoky.

"Rebellious. He's usually so submissive, but lately been acting out. Amber acted like that too, just before…"

"Mrs. Gieppe, let me assure you that if Syrus develops…the problem, we will deal with it immediately and quietly. That poor child has been unfortunate, life dealing him this hand, but my staff and I can remedy it. Just say the word."

"You weren't so proficient when dealing with Amber. She ended up dead. One more death and the police will come snooping." The woman snapped out, the wounds of her only child's death stinging.

"Amber's death was an unfortunate accident, but one that will not be repeated. Shall we set an appointment so I can examine him?" The doctor picked up a little black book from his table and opened it, ready to write.

"I think we'll wait for another few days, and see if anything begins happening. When and if it does, I'll contact you."

"Of course. Thank you for contacting me over this matter. Anomalies like this need to be stopped, or we'll end up tainting the gene pool of the entire human race."

"Thank you doctor. I'll speak to you soon." They both hung up. The doctor stood, walked over to the window in his office and smirked. _Soon, I will have another one in my grasp. Who knows how far this will bring me?_

--

And so, we end on a bit of a foreboding note. I've written out my plot for this, and it's gotten much more dark and twisted than I had originally thought of. I love dark plot lines ) R&R!


	4. Revealed

Thanks for the reviews. Good luck to everyone on any endeavours they are undertaking! I felt like being a fortune cookie today :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh GX or X-Men. If I did, that would be absolutely awesome. Wolverine would get waaaaay more screen time. Back to business…

Warning: Swearing, some violence

--

Syrus pressed his face into his pillow to keep from making a sound. A sharp, stabbing pain had shot through his back, making him go rigid as he tried to sit up. "Ow," he muttered, "what the heck was that?" It had been four days since he had stopped taking the pills, so maybe it was something to do with that. He reached over his shoulder to rub the spot, and stopped as his fingers detected something that didn't belong. "Oh my God."

He leapt out of bed, ignoring the pain, and ran to the bathroom, praying that he wouldn't run into either of his guardians on the way. Once there, he slammed and locked the door. Syrus stripped off his pyjama shirt, fighting back panic. He turned around and looked over his shoulder in the full-length mirror; after a few seconds of horrified staring, he sank to the ground, moaning.

_No, no, no! What's wrong with me? I must be sick or something. That's the only explanation; they must be tumours or something. Oh, God, I could end up like Amber. _He began to cry noiselessly, overcome by the enormity of the trouble he was in.

For on his back, there were two bony protrusions, the forerunners of a set of wings.

--

"Master Sheppard! Hi! I need to talk to you right away!" Jaden ran up to the stout, balding man who was approaching the house in which his _charges _lived. "It's important." He permitted himself a small sigh. Jaden was the most energetic of the children, and so required a tad more attention.

"What is it Jaden? Did Chazz almost set the forest on fire again? Or have you discovered yet another interesting species of mushroom?" He recalled the incident with some amusement. The teenaged lycan had discovered an odd species of fungi growing in the woods (no doubt he had detected it with his superior nose) and had brought it home, mixing it into that night's dinner without telling anyone. Needless to say, everyone who ate the soup was lucky they hadn't died.

The two walked alongside one another as they made their way up the path to the house. Jaden was fairly bouncing along the whole way. "No, not today. I met this kid a few days ago, and I've wanted to tell you about him, but I had to wait until you got back." Jaden went on to describe Syrus, and the pill that he had been taken. The older man had listened patiently, and sent Jaden to find Professor Banner once he had told his tale.

As soon as the boy was gone, Sheppard's eyebrows drew in to become one long, fuzzy caterpillar. This was disturbing news, to say the least. _They live in the same place; he must be Amber's cousin. I must do the right thing and intervene this time. Otherwise, the outcome may be the same._

--

Syrus was pacing his room, trying to think of something to do. _I could ignore them and hope they go away. Yeah, right. I could take a knife and try to hack them off. I'd die from blood loss or infection. Maybe this is a dream. It surely can't be true; people do not grow wings! Oh, what am I saying? I have a friend who's part wolf, of course it's possible that I could grow wings. Jaden even said that I didn't smell like a regular human. And that dream with Amber…_ in the dream, his cousin had had wings, but he had originally thought it was the product of eating too much before sleeping.

_What if Amber had wings before she died? _They were related, and having wings could be a genetic thing, for all he knew.

_I need some advice. Where is Jaden? He promised to come back and see me. But it's almost been a week, and I've heard nothing. Was he lying? _Syrus lay down on his bed, curling up inside a blanket cocoon.

--

"But I've got to go back and see him!" Jaden was standing before Sheppard, and Lyman Banner, who took care of the teenagers. He was somewhat of a teacher/father figure to all of them, even the older ones. "I promised!"

"Jaden, we know that you're concerned for your friend, but we must assess the situation before we go making decisions." Banner calmly explained this to the brunette, who clearly didn't see it this way. "If Syrus truly is as unique as the rest of you, then he will be welcome here. But we cannot rip him away from his family and home on impulse."

"Some family! He's not even allowed to go outside! They're keeping him a prisoner, and who knows what the pill has been doing to him?! We've gotta help him."

Sheppard cleared his throat and stepped forwards. "And we will. But Jaden, you have to learn to look before you leap; otherwise, things can go badly. Don't you remember what happened to…" before he could finish his sentence, Banner cut him off.

"What's done is done, Allen. We must focus on the present now."

Sheppard nodded. "Quite right. Jaden, please stay here. _Do not _go and see your friend. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Jaden looked at the ground, and shuffled his feet. The two older men left the room, and he looked up, a resolved look on his face. _I don't care. I'm going to go and see him anyway._

--

Jaden snuck down the stairs, careful to skip the last one, because of its tendency to creak. He had gotten dressed in the dark, without waking any of the other sleeping residents. Sheppard had gone back to his home, and Banner was harder to wake up than a log. _Almost there…_ Jaden's hand closed over the cool doorknob, and he was about to open it when he heard a voice from behind him.

"Jaden, they told you to stay here." He whipped around to see a dirty blonde girl standing at the foot of the stairs, clad in a light blue nightgown, matching slippers, and a robe. The brunette looked at her a little uncomfortably.

"I have to go, Alexis. Go back to bed. I'll be back before dawn." He turned to go, but she swiftly walked forwards and grabbed his shoulder.

"Wait. What if this is a trap, and he's working for the guys who…" she dropped her voice to a whisper, not wanting to wake anyone else.

Jaden shook his head. "He's not. Call me crazy, but it's just the way he acts and smells. Besides, I promised to go see him."

She let out a frustrated sigh, her tawny eyes flashing. "I'm not going to be able to talk you out of this, am I?"

"Nope," Jaden grinned. "He might come to live here, you know," he confided in her.

"Oh? What's his ability?"

"I don't know what makes him special, but we'll find out soon enough, I guess. If someone wakes up, I'm out hunting, okay?" Jaden cracked the door open and slid out into the cool night air.

"Fine. But if you get caught, don't come crying to me for help." He flashed her a peace sign and took off at top speed. Alexis turned to go back up the stairs, but found someone standing in her way.

"Is he off to meet that kid?"

"Zane!" Alexis jumped a little, but then lowered her voice. "What are you doing up?" The teal-haired teen was standing on the bottom stepped, dressed in only pyjama bottoms and a robe. The expression on his face was hidden in the shadows.

"I heard voices. Alexis, I don't think it's wise to let him go running off in the middle of the night, especially to some unknown kid's house."

Alexis placed her hands on her hips. "That's exactly what I told him, but you know Jaden. He's stubborn."

"Hmph." Zane pushed his teal blue hair out of his face. "So, I suppose we'll be getting a new member of our…" he paused thoughtfully "…fellowship?" He put this in for lack of a better word.

"If he proves to be as special as Jaden says. Zane?"

"Hm?"

"Jaden says his smell kind of resembles yours. Do you think he's…related to you or something like that?" She looked questioningly at him. Zane didn't have a lot of memories of his family. Mostly he remembered sensory things, like smells and textures of different objects, but not people. So maybe…

"Anything's possible." Alexis blew out her breath. Sometimes, Zane's tendency of being silent got a little frustrating.

--

It was 1: 25 in the morning. Syrus sat on his computer, researching everything he could about people with wings. The frustrating thing was that almost every reference that turned up had to do with the Bible, Angel from X-Men, or the myth of Icarus and Daedalus. He put his head down on the keyboard and groaned. Each of his wings had grown almost two inches longer in the twenty four hours since he had discovered them. They were also growing a layer of tiny, downy feathers.

_I can hide them now, but they're going to get bigger. _After getting over the shock, Syrus had tried on all his clothes, and decided that wearing loose sweaters would hide them the best._ What if they get big enough for me to fly? That'd be cool, but I'd never be able to leave this place. People would treat me like a freak. _Syrus fought back tears. It wasn't fair; he already had controlling guardians, no parents. Stuff like this was only supposed to happen in movies and books, where everything would always turn out right.

A soft tapping at his porch door made him start. He turned his head to see a wolf staring in, wagging its tail. It let out a loud bark and scratched at the glass. _Jaden! He's back! _Syrus got up quickly, knocking over his chair in the process. He pulled open the door, and was tackled to the floor by his friend, who was trying to lick every inch of Syrus's face that he could get his tongue on.

"Jaden! Get off!" Syrus half-whispered, half-shouted. "Down! They'll hear you." Jaden shifted back into his human form, grinning madly.

"Sorry, Sy. I'm just so excited to see you again. How've you been?" The bluenette went to his bedroom door (the one leading into the hall) and double-checked that it was locked. "What's wrong?"

"Jay, I have a serious problem." Syrus pulled off his shirt and slowly turned around to show Jaden his _problem_. The latter's mouth fell open and his eyes went wide. He reached out and gently prodded one. It twitched a little.

"Oh, man. This is definitely serious." Jaden appeared to be deep in thought, a serious expression on his face. Then, oddly enough, he broke out into a wide smile. "This is great!"

Syrus sweatdropped. "It is?"

"Yeah! Now you'll get to come and live with me and my friends! They'll like you a lot, I'm sure of it. And the best part is that you're not going to be the only one with wings there."

"I won't be? You know someone else with wings?!" Syrus was flabbergasted. Even if Jaden and his friends were all unique, he wouldn't have expected one of them to have the same affliction as himself. He felt absolutely overjoyed. "Really?!"

"Would I lie to you?" Jaden started poking around Syrus's closet, seemingly looking for something. "His name is Zane. He's the one with the funky teal hair. Maybe the two of you are related."

"Uh…maybe. What are you looking for?" Jaden pulled out Syrus's suitcase. He tossed it to Syrus.

"This. You should pack; now that you have wings, Master Sheppard will definitely let you come." Syrus wasted no time, now that he had heard that he was going to get out of this place, he didn't want to have to prolong his stay. "I'd better get going."

"Why?" Syrus paused from pulling clothes out of his drawers.

The brunette looked a little sheepish. "Well, Sheppard kinda told me not to come here until he had a chance to talk to your aunt and uncle. But I couldn't leave you hanging."

"I'm glad you didn't. I was having a freak-out this morning when I saw the wings. How long do you think it will take him to get here?"

"Maybe a few days." Jaden gave his friend a hug. "Stay strong, Sy." He turned to go. "I'll see you later."

"Bye, Jaden. Thank you so much." When Jaden was gone, Syrus felt like a heavy weight had been lifted off his shoulders. _Maybe this nightmare will turn out to be alright after all._

--Two days later--

Syrus was in the shower, rinsing the conditioner out of his hair. Outside the door, he could hear his uncle and aunt getting ready for work. As he turned to shut the water off, his wings knocked the shampoo and conditioner bottles from their shelf. They fell and landed on his foot. "Ouch! Damnit." He muttered the last part. His wings, which had grown considerably, were now a foot-and-a-half long each. It was getting harder to conceal them under his clothes.

Stepping out of the shower, he reached for a towel and wrapped it around his waist. Shaking the remaining water out of his hair, he began to comb the tangles out.

Lost in his thoughts, he didn't hear the doorknob turn until it was too late. A rush of cold air chilled his back and wings. He stiffened and turned quickly, but not quickly enough. His uncle was standing in the doorway, staring at him in repulsion.

"You…you…" his face was literally purple. "No…not in my house…not again…" Coming to his senses, Syrus tried to charge past him out into the hall, but Cole grabbed his arm in an iron grip.

"Let go of me!" Syrus yelled, struggling as his uncle dragged him out of the bathroom. His uncle punched him in the side of the head, subduing him momentarily.

"Freak…abomination…bad blood…" He was muttering quite wildly, his eyes flicking around, as if people were watching. "NORA!"

"What is it?!" She ran up the stairs and stared at the scene before her. Her husband had Syrus, wearing only a towel, by the upper arm. Then her eyes fell on his wings. "Oh, my God!" She screamed. Syrus was shoved into his room, landing hard on his knees. He cringed as the two stared at him in loathing. "Cole, call the doctor…now! We have to deal with this immediately!" The door was slammed in his face. _No, my secret's out! What are they going to do with me?!_

As the footsteps of his guardians died away, he pulled himself onto his bed. His head was throbbing from the blow his uncle had dealt him. _Jaden, I hope the help you promised comes soon. Otherwise, I'll be in real trouble. _

--

Stupid computer. My keyboard went all weird for a few days, and I couldn't type properly. Then, it mysteriously went back to normal. Don't ask…I have no idea what happened. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this. R&R!


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